Mission Accomplished: Mystery Anti-Muslim Film Sows Violence Around World

If the intent of whoever was behind the mystery film was to disrupt US diplomatic missions around the world, mission accomplished.

The overdubbed video clips have taken on a life of their own and it's no longer about the video, but anger directed at the US for no reason other than it's the in-thing to do in places like Tunisia and Egypt. At a time when the economic conditions in those countries isn't improving after regime change, protesting against the US (and throw in the anti-Israel sentiments expressed in some) is a safe way to divert attention away from the inability to improve the economic conditions as fast as everyone wants.

Blaming the US is better than trying to create jobs in those countries. Claiming that the US engaged in blasphemy or somehow supports blasphemy is easier than trying to understand that free speech is a universal right and includes the right to say things that other groups might not like or want to hear or see, but it doesn't give anyone the right to blow stuff up or riot and destroy property. Free exercise of religion means not imposing your religious views on others, or other nations for that matter.

Those behind the film are agent provocateurs who sought to sow discord and create conflict. They achieved those goals, and now the US and those regimes in the Middle East and elsewhere these protests/riots are going on have to deal with the fallout.

One has to also wonder who benefits from the repercussions of these protests/riots/attacks. Iran definitely comes to mind, as do the regimes that replaced longstanding brutal regimes that did not tolerate dissent. This is something that has to be explored at greater depth.

Riots and protests are spreading to other countries, and the list now includes Tunisia, Lebanon (which happens to be where Pope Benedict is visiting on a diplomatic trip), Yemen, Bangladesh, and the German embassy in Khartoum Sudan has been torched. Jordan has also seen protests. Here's a map showing where those protests are underway.

But you know who hasn't seen the film or the clips - most of those protesting. It's a ginned up controversy and the film's creators/backers are still not fully known. And what's known about those involved thus far indicate that the producer was a convicted criminal and a shady character - a grifter being a most charitable term, while the director was incompetent and may not have known the plot/dialogue and the actors didn't know what they were doing or that the film was overdubbed afterwards to completely change the meaning and context of the scenes.

This situation smells, make that reeks, of the trajectory followed in the cartoon jihad that cost more than 100 lives across the world and resulted in embassies of several countries being attacked.

Once again, we have an obscure publication that gets picked up and within days is turned into a rallying cry for rioting and protests by Islamist leaders decrying the blasphemous acts and portrayals - urging death to those involved. Instead of the targets being embassies of the Danes, the nation of the Jyllands Posten, which published the cartoons originally, it's US diplomatic facilities are being targeted (and also Germany). In some instances, it appears that local governments are backing protests, while others - as in Libya - the government is actively trying to block the attacks/protests.

It may also be useful to try and distinguish between the terror attack that killed Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans in Libya and the protests/riots in Egypt and elsewhere. The attack in Libya appears to have been a preplanned attack to coincide with 9/11, while the protests elsewhere appear to be more closely related to the outrage over the mystery film. The film outrage may have spurred protests in Libya as well that were exploited by the attackers, but the scenario has blurred together into one mess that will take quite some time to sort out.

Fallout Continues From Attacks On US Embassies in Egypt; Libya and Death of Ambassador Stevens

The attacks against the US Embassy in Cairo and the US consulate in Bengazi Libya continue to resonate against the backdrop of domestic election politics in the US and the Obama Administration has to deal with the ongoing crisis that appears to be spreading to other countries as a result of protests against a film of bizarre provenance. Protests and riots are being reported in Tunisia as well against the publication of a film depicting Mohammad in derogatory fashion.

The origins of the film are still rather cryptic. Sam Bacile appears to have been involved in the film, and it was financed/promoted by one Morris Sedak and later promoted by pastor Terry Jones. Bacile's background will get scrutinized, but there's quite a few inconsistencies:

The bottom line is that we know very little about Sam Bacile, the man who produced the film. But The Wall Street Journal caught up with Bacile before he went into hiding.

According to the Journal, Bacile raised "$5 million from 100 Jewish donors" and he produced the film using 60 actors and 45 crew members.

Bacile told the Journal that he made the film to expose "Islam as a hateful religion."

"Islam is a cancer," he told the paper. "The movie is a political movie. It's not a religious movie."

In another interview, Bacile told the Associated Press that he was a real estate developer and an Israeli Jew, but Israeli authorities told the wire service they have no records of him being a citizen.

Our library did not turn up any footprint for Bacile. They found no property, phone, licenses nor court records. And Bacile had not made news until today.

The term agent provocateur seems to be the best description. The video footage is amateurish and there's no indication that Bacile has any connection to the film industry whatsoever. There's no reference to him in imdb.com and we have only what he's said about his background to go on.

While the protesters in Egypt overran the embassy and briefly hoisted a protest flag, the situation in Libya may have been cover for a sophisticated terror operation against the embassy. The protests against the film there were a pretext for the attack.

Officials in Washington studying the events of the past 24 hours have focused on the differences between the protests on the American embassy in Cairo and the attack on the consulate in Benghazi, the Libyan city where Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and the other Americans were killed.

The protesters in Cairo appeared to be a genuinely spontaneous unarmed mob angered by an anti-Islam video produced in the United States. By contrast, it appeared the attackers in Benghazi were armed with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades. Intelligence reports are inconclusive at this point, officials said, but indications suggest the possibility that an organized group had either been waiting for an opportunity to exploit like the protests over the video or perhaps even generated the protests as a cover for their attack.

President Obama strongly condemned the killings and ordered increased security at American diplomatic posts around the world. American defense officials said 50 Marines were en route to Libya to strengthen security at United States diplomatic facilities, and the State Department ordered all “nonemergency” personnel out of the country and warned Americans not to go there, suggesting that further attacks were possible.

The death of Mr. Stevens was the first of an American envoy abroad in more than two decades.

“These four Americans stood up for freedom and human dignity,” Mr. Obama said in a televised statement from the White House Rose Garden, where he stood with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. “Make no mistake: we will work with the Libyan government to bring to justice the killers who attacked our people.”

Mr. Obama also offered praise for the Libyan government, noting that Libyan security forces fought back against the mob, helped protect American diplomats and took Mr. Stevens’s body to the hospital. “This attack will not break the bonds between the United States and Libya,” he said.

Libyan security forces were attempting to defend the US embassy but were overrun by the attacking terrorists. Secretary of State Clinton made clear that the attack was not by the Libyan government or the people but a small group determined to break US resolve in the region.

The mission that drew Chris and Sean and their colleagues to Libya is both noble and necessary, and we and the people of Libya honor their memory by carrying it forward. This is not easy. Today, many Americans are asking – indeed, I asked myself – how could this happen? How could this happen in a country we helped liberate, in a city we helped save from destruction? This question reflects just how complicated and, at times, how confounding the world can be.

But we must be clear-eyed, even in our grief. This was an attack by a small and savage group – not the people or Government of Libya. Everywhere Chris and his team went in Libya, in a country scarred by war and tyranny, they were hailed as friends and partners. And when the attack came yesterday, Libyans stood and fought to defend our post. Some were wounded. Libyans carried Chris’ body to the hospital, and they helped rescue and lead other Americans to safety. And last night, when I spoke with the President of Libya, he strongly condemned the violence and pledged every effort to protect our people and pursue those responsible.

The friendship between our countries, borne out of shared struggle, will not be another casualty of this attack. A free and stable Libya is still in America’s interest and security, and we will not turn our back on that, nor will we rest until those responsible for these attacks are found and brought to justice. We are working closely with the Libyan authorities to move swiftly and surely. We are also working with partners around the world to safeguard other American embassies, consulates, and citizens.

There will be more time later to reflect, but today, we have work to do. There is no higher priority than protecting our men and women wherever they serve. We are working to determine the precise motivations and methods of those who carried out this assault. Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior, along with the protest that took place at our Embassy in Cairo yesterday, as a response to inflammatory material posted on the internet. America’s commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. But let me be clear – there is no justification for this, none. Violence like this is no way to honor religion or faith. And as long as there are those who would take innocent life in the name of God, the world will never know a true and lasting peace.

Meanwhile, the New York Times is reporting that the Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement about the unspeakable idiot who produced the film that sparked the protests, riots, and which may have been used as cover for a terror attack that killed the US Ambassador to Libya. The NY Times reports:

Yigal Palmor, the spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said in a telephoned statement: “Nobody knows who he is. He is totally unknown in filmmaking circles in Israel. And anything he did — he is not doing it for Israel, or with Israel, or through Israel in any way.” Mr. Palmor also called the filmmaker “a complete loose cannon and an unspeakable idiot.”

Israel has further said that there's no evidence that Bacile is Israeli, and that he was acting on his own. At the same time Bacile was contacted from an undisclosed location and claims that the deaths of the Ambassador could be attributed the perpetrators and to lax security at the embassy and not his own actions. Really? That's what he's going to go with?

UPDATE:
The Atlantic sheds more light, and it appears that Bacile is a misdirection play.

UPDATE:
"Bacile" also claimed to be a California real estate developer, but there's no record of that either. He's not listed in any directories or incorporations or real estate deeds and is not licensed in California as a real estate broker.

There's also more information about another player in this, Morris Sedak. He is apparently the head of the National Coptic Assembly in the United States. He has no room for tolerance or coexistence with Muslims. He sees Egypt as being occupied by Muslims, and has used his position to shape Coptic Christian positions in Egypt and abroad.

Coptic Christians living abroad, many of whom are instrumental in developing public opinion, want little or nothing to do with inclusion and tolerance. Leading that charge are figures like Morris Sadek, the head of the National Coptic Assembly in the United States. He has on a number of occasions argued that Egypt is the national homeland of Copts and Muslims – the vast majority in the country – are an “occupying force.” It’s not difficult to see where mistrust can be manifested.

Likewise, there are radical conservative Muslim leaders, spouting nonsense against their Christian sisters and brothers from the pulpit. They tell their congregations of the threat the “infidel” has upon Islamic society in Egypt. No wonder Muslims have little desire to know and understand their Christian counterparts.

Despite that, Sedak sees himself as a human rights advocate, and while there have been numerous instances of Copts being persecuted, his solution doesn't appear to be any better. At the same time, Sedak's Egyptian citizenship was revoked last year by the Egyptian courts, claiming that he called for war against Egypt.

Then, there's a self-described consultant to the film, Steve Klein, who, according to the SPLC, has trained paramilitary militias and far right groups, including the Church of Kaweah.

Klein is a Marine veteran who served in the Vietnam War and is based in Hemet, Calif. He believes that his state is riddled with Muslim Brotherhood sleeper cells “who are awaiting the trigger date and will begin randomly killing as many of us as they can,” according to an article in the Spring 2012 issue of the SPLC Intelligence Report.

Over the years, Klein has worked with a variety of far-right groups, including the Church at Kaweah, which the SPLC lists as a hate group. The Church of Kaweah is a secretive cohort of militant Christian fundamentalists in California who are preparing for war and who believe that churches should avoid government regulation and answer only to God. Kaweah has its own militia, headed by David “Dutch” Johnson (aka Dutch Joens), a longtime antigovernment veteran of the militia movement. Johnson looks forward to the battle that will begin when “Dictator Obongo” institutes martial law. He has called Mexicans savages “who can’t run their own government” and recommended sending guns to drug cartels to “decrease the excess population in Mexico so they don’t come north.”

Protesters Overrun US Embassy In Egypt Over Mysterious Movie

No one can actually verify what film the protesters are supposedly upset about which makes the protests against the US Embassy in Cairo all the more odd and disturbing. Reuters and USA Today can't seem to track down the film, but regardless of the facts and circumstances, a group of protesters set out to overrun the US Embassy in Cairo. They succeeded in taking down the US flag for a time and scrawling graffiti referring to not disgracing the name of the prophet Mohammad.

From Reuters:

"This movie must be banned immediately and an apology should be made ... This is a disgrace," said 19-year-old, Ismail Mahmoud, a member of the so-called "ultras" soccer supporters who played a big role in the uprising that brought down Hosni Mubarak last year.

Many Muslims consider any depiction of the Prophet to be offensive.

Mahmoud called on President Mohamed Mursi, Egypt's first civilian president and an Islamist, to take action. Many others were supporters of Islamist groups.

About 20 people stood on top of the embassy wall in central Cairo, where about 2,000 protesters had gathered.

"There is no god but Allah, Mohammad is Allah's messenger. We will sacrifice ourselves for you, Allah's messenger," they chanted, with many waving religious flags.

A U.S. embassy official had no immediate comment on the protesters' actions but the embassy had put out a statement earlier on Tuesday condemning those who hurt the religious feelings of Muslims or followers of any other religions.

"We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others," the U.S. embassy said in its statement.

One slogan scrawled on the walls of the embassy, a fortress-like structure that is near Tahrir Square where Egyptians revolted against Mubarak, said: "If your freedom of speech has no limits, may you accept our freedom of action."

An Egyptian state website carried a statement by Egypt's Coptic Orthodox church condemning what it said were moves by some Copts living abroad "to finance the production of a film insulting Prophet Mohammad".

About a 10th of Egypt's 83 million people are Christians.

It was not immediately clear which film angered protesters.

However, according to the website www.standupamerianow.org, the Christian Pastor Terry Jones, who angered Muslims by burning a copy of the Koran, was due to take part in an event on Tuesday called "International Judge Mohammad Day" in Florida in which it would symbolically put the Prophet on trial and play it out live over the Internet.

"Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy," the U.S. embassy statement said, adding that it condemned the efforts by "misguided individuals" to hurt the feelings of Muslims.

What's interesting is that you've got hundreds of people protesting a film allegedly being made in the US but not a single person can actually cite the name of the film. Moreover, it appears that FARS (Iran) is pushing the claim that Egyptian Coptic Christians are behind the film and fanning sectarian violence that will inevitably result from such claims.

So, the only "film" that could even fit the profile is some Internet production by Terry Jones who's got quite the reputation for hating Islam and showing a tremendous amount of religious intolerance.

That might be what they're protesting, but as with most kinds of protests across the Arab world, all it takes is a rumor for things to take hold, and no amount of debunking will stop things.

What we do know is that Egypt has been hit by several waves of sectarian violence since the fall of Hosni Mubarak and Coptic Christians have been under assault from Islamists who are asserting themselves at the Coptic Christians' expense.

UPDATE:
According to twitter links to this website provided by NJDhockeyfan, the name of the film is Life of King of Islam but there's no reference in IMDB.com. It was supposedly done by Sam Basil (again no reference in imdb), but they refer to Terry Jones' actions. There's also a reference to Dutch involvement, but it's not clear what is being referenced.

UPDATE:
The Atlantic seems to have run down more details, though there's way too much speculation about who is behind the film, their intentions, and other salient details.

The movie is called Mohammed Nabi al-Muslimin, or Mohammed, Prophet of the Muslims. If you've never heard of it, that's because most of the few clips circulating online are dubbed in Arabic. The above clip, which is allegedly from the film (update: Kurt Werthmuller, a Coptic specialist at the Hudson Institute, says he's confirmed the clip's authenticity) is one of the only in English. That's also because it's allegedly produced by Florida Pastor Terry Jones (yes, the asshole who burnt the Koran despite Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' pleas) and two Egyptians living in the U.S., according to Egyptian press accounts. The Egyptians are allegedly Coptic, the Christian minority that makes up about a tenth of Egypt.

Obviously, there's a lot to this story that's still unclear. What we do know is that some members of Egypt's sometimes-raucous, often rumor-heavy media have been playing highly offensive clips from the highly offensive film, stressing its U.S. and Coptic connections. In the clip below, controversial TV host Sheikh Khaled Abdallah (known for such statements as "Iran is more dangerous to us than the Jews" and that Tehran had engineered a deadly soccer riot in Port Said) hypes the film as an American-Coptic plot and introduces what he says is its opening scene.

UPDATE:
A second American embassy has been besieged, this time in Libya. Libyan security forces have been fighting against unknown militias in the vicinity of the American embassy.

The AP reports that Morris Sadek is promoting the video on his website and on some television stations.

Morris Sadek, an Egyptian-born Christian in the United States known for his strongly anti-Islam views, said in an interview from Washington that he was promoting the video on his Web site and on certain television stations, which he did not identify.

He said the video “explains the problems of the Copts who suffer from Muslims,” for which he blamed the Koran.

For several days, the Egyptian news media have been reporting on the movie, playing excerpts and blaming Mr. Sadek for it, with ultraconservative clerics going on the air to denounce it.

Medhat Klada, a representative of Coptic Christian organizations in Europe, said Mr. Sadek’s views did not represent those of expatriate Copts.

“He is an extremist,” he said in an interview from Switzerland. “We refuse any attacks on religions because of a moral position.”

This has the feel of the cartoon jihad in the making - where more than 100 people were killed around the world, several embassies were ransacked and torched, and all because of the publication of cartoons in a Danish publication, Jyllands Posten.

Debunking Bogus Story About Egyptian "Farewell Intercourse" Legislation

Several media outlets, including the Daily Mail and Daily Caller, have been busy spreading a story about how the Egyptian legislature is considering a bill that would allow a spouse to have sexual relations with their deceased spouse.

Think about that for a moment.

Does this even sound like a rational bill for consideration anywhere in the world.

Does it pass the smell test?

It doesn't, and yet media outlets have run with it nevertheless in which they breathless claim that the Egyptian Parliament would allow spouses to have intercourse with their deceased within 6 hours after the death.

For starters, Islamic law is pretty strict about handling the deceased, including not disturbing the remains except for the possibility of autopsy. Some of the requirements are similar to Jewish law including ritual cleansing of the body, wrapping in a shroud, watching over it, and prompt burial (which makes sense in the Middle East where the heat predicates a swift burial to avoid problems with decomposition).

Depending on who you ask, the family is involved in the cleansing and wrapping or it is left to professionals.

Allowing fornication with the deceased would violate a key precept of the Muslim ritual burial/funeral practices. It would never pass muster.

Regardless of who started the rumor (and it appears to have been an Ahram reporter with an agenda), the fact is that this is a bogus law/discussion about changing Egyptian law. It was not considered, it isn't being considered, and it would be antithetical to Islamic law.

That, on its face, should have set off alarm bells that something wasn't halal with the narrative being pushed by media outlets that couldn't give a damn about what they reprinted so long as someone else printed it first.

Reflections on Passover and Easter

I've got to say that with having just returned from Israel, the Easter/Passover story hits home in a new and different way - particularly the Easter part. I'd been to Israel before, but this time we toured areas that had more significance to Christians, including the Basilica of the Assumption and Church of the Holy Sepulcher as well as the place on the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized.

To think that you were walking along the same basic places where the events and people who make up the Canon of Christianity is mind boggling when you really think about it. It's no wonder that some people get spellbound and bound up in the religious fervor of their trip to the Holy Land - where each step puts you in direct contact with the ground where everyone from the Jewish kings of Israel/Judea lived, the prophets made their pronouncements, and Jesus lived. There's such a level of spirituality that it's hard for people to understand if they've never been there themselves, but at the same time is a draw for so many to come and make pilgrimages.

I was particularly impressed with the Holy Sepulcher and the way that each divergent stream of Christianity has taken to occupy a space of the Church - to the point that repairs of key portions are not done because paying for the repair means one can claim ownership - occupation and power. Each group controls a different portion, and even the steps outside are a bone of contention - the final step is just an inch or two above the rest of the courtyard, but one group claims that final step is the courtyard itself, while the other claims it to be part of the steps.

That's just one church - and one religion (though different sects abound within). Now multiply that by the three religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) that claim Jerusalem as their own holy cities - and you begin to get an idea of how convoluted the entire notion of a peace process is.

Anne Frank Latest Holocaust Victim To Be Baptized By Mormon Church in Violation of Agreements

A group of Mormons have once again attempted to baptize-by-proxy Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl who hid in an Amsterdam attic before being caught by Nazis and ended up dying in a concentration camp.

The rite was conducted Saturday in a Mormon temple in the Dominican Republic, according to Helen Radkey, an excommunicated church member turned whistleblower.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints practices proxy Baptism — converting Jews, Christians and Muslims to the faith years after they died by ritually dunking a stand-in for the deceased.

Radkey has revealed that Mormons posthumously baptized thousands of people, including Joan of Arc, Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe and Barack Obama’s mother.

Fury over the discovery in 1995 that the church had turned more than 300,000 Jews killed by Nazis for their faith into Mormons led the LDS church to promise to quit baptizing Holocaust victims.

In a statement Tuesday, the church said it was considering taking disciplinary action.

“It is distressing when an individual willfully violates the Church’s policy and something that should be understood to be an offering based on love and respect becomes a source of contention,” the church said.

Frank, who died at 15 in the Bergen-Belsen death camp after writing her famous diary, has been baptized by the Mormon church at least nine times before, according to Radkey.

Last week, the Mormon church apologized for posthumously baptizing the parents of Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal. His mother was killed in a death camp in 1942.

This is just the latest incident in a long string of baptisms of Jews who died in the Holocaust by members of the Mormon church. Church leaders have repeatedly claimed that this was done by rogue elements in the Church, but there was a prior incident where they entered into an agreement:

Church officials, in response, stated that the Church does not teach that vicarious baptisms coerce deceased persons to become Mormons, nor does the Church add those names to its list of Church members.[52][53] Church officials have also stated that, in accordance with the 1995 agreement, it has removed more than 300,000 names of Jewish Holocaust victims from its databases, as well as subsequently removing names later identified by Jewish groups. Church officials have also stated that a new version of the database, New FamilySearch, has been developed and is currently being implemented that would help prevent the submission of Holocaust victim names for temple ordinances.[54]

Despite the agreement, they're still at it. What makes the practice all the more galling is that these Mormon groups are specifically targeting Holocaust victims - Jews who were specifically murdered or condemned to concentration camps precisely because they were Jewish.

Yet Another Setback For Sheepshead Bay Mosque Opponents

Opponents to a proposed mosque in Sheepshead Bay suffered yet another setback. The City's Board of Standards and Appeals rejected the groups' claims.

Though it hasn't attracted as much attention as Park 51, the Islamic community center in Lower Manhattan, the mosque planned for 2812 Voorhies Avenue, on a residential block between East 28th and East 29th streets, has inspired protests, a lawsuit and challenges before the Department of Buildings.

Bay People, an organization formed to oppose the project, claims the mosque will increase traffic and noise in the neighborhood, decreasing property values. But the group has also come under fire for what is seen as its anti-Muslim bias.

In several DOB complaints lodged earlier this year, Bay People contended that the mosque, which is affiliated with the non-profit Muslim American Society, must provide on-site parking because of the number of worshippers expected at the property.

But DOB, which had already approved the project, shot down the challenges, finding the mosque would comply with zoning rules. The BSA voted 5-0 to affirm DOB today and is expected to issue a written decision shortly, according to Howard Goldman, a land-use attorney who represented Bay People.

Goldman said the decision would have an impact across the city, allowing any house of worship to design prayer rooms in such a way to avoid providing parking. "Any house of worship can now follow this ruling," Goldman said, adding, "It may require that there be an amendment to the zoning resolution to eliminate this loophole."

Developer Allowey Ahmed bought the property -- comprised of a vacant lot and a lot with a single-family home -- for $800,000 in 2007, from a couple who had owned there since 1974, according to city property records. Last October, he got the green light from DOB to erect a three-story brick building, with a 2,465 square foot structure on a 4,500-square-foot lot, department records show.

For Bay People, the sticking point is the way the mosque's proposed worship rooms are divided into two separate spaces: a 138-person main assembly room on the first floor and a 75-person secondary room overlooking the main space, according to plans submitted to DOB. (Goldman believes the second space is intended as a prayer room for women.)

New York's zoning code requires that houses of worship -- mosques, churches, synagogues, or otherwise -- provide one parking space for every 15 occupants of a site's largest assembly room, or 9.2 parking spaces in the case of the Sheepshead Bay mosque. But facilities that are required to provide fewer than ten spaces are, in fact, exempt from the parking obligations altogether.

The opponents claim that the parking requirements should apply because both spaces will be used for prayer as a single room; and that the total number of occupants would trigger the parking space requirement. Since the property can't accommodate the parking requirement, the opposition thought they'd be able to block the mosque on a zoning technicality.

The opposition has been fighting with the mosque developers in court as well; and the developers have fought back with counterclaims malicious prosecution, defamation and abuse of process, seeking at least $56,000, plus punitive and other damages. However, a September court ruling dismissed all those claims by both sides although both sides have appealed.

This isn't the last we'll hear of the mosque project

Tunisia Counts Votes From Historic Elections

Tunisia, the first of the Arab countries to overthrow longtime dictators, despots, and autocrats, carried off the first free election since they deposed Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. They're counting the votes and it would appear that there was huge turnout for the elections. Observers think that there was 90% turnout, and that includes a large diaspora vote.

Most forecasts point to the Ennahda party emerging with the biggest share of the vote, an outcome that worries secularists and could be replicated in other Arab states when they hold their own post-Arab Spring elections.

Tunisian radio read out voting figures obtained from districts in the northern town of Beja and other areas that showed Ennahda in the lead, with the center-left Congress for the Republic Party (CRP) also doing well.

Ennahda said its own polling suggested the same. Parties are allowed to have representatives present during the counting process. Partial results are expected later Monday and final results Tuesday.

"The results are very good for Ennahda. We don't want to give details but it's clear that Ennahda has enjoyed a level of success that in some cases equals the results of the voting abroad," an Ennahda official said.

Ennahda, citing its own, unofficial tally from votes cast by the large Tunisian diaspora before Sunday's election, said there were indications it had won half the vote abroad.

"Ennahda was first in all the foreign polling stations," its campaign manager, Abdelhamid Jlazzi, told a gathering of party workers. "We got more than 50 percent."

The 217-seat assembly Tunisians are electing will sit for one year, re-write the constitution, choose a new interim government and set dates for parliamentary and presidential elections.

So who exactly is the Ennahda party or the CRP? Ennahda considers itself to be a moderate Islamist party and the CRP is a center-left party that has significant support.

Ennahda has attempted to show that it is a modern and moderate Islamic party.

n all three countries, Islamic groups have proven to be most organized, topping opinion polls and setting the political agenda, but have also taken pains to present themselves as progressive and democratic. Ennahda is running a female candidate who wears the head covering favored by Islamists as its candidate in the capital of Tunis and its leaders have repeated stressed its fealty to democracy.

“All the values of democracy and modernity are respected by Ennahda. We are a party that can find a balance between modernity and Islam,” its leader, Rachid Ghannouchi, told Reuters in an interview on Monday, rejecting critics’ accusations that the party’s moderation is a cover for extremist views.

These elections are only the beginning of a political process to form a new constitution and political process. I would expect significant political maneuverings to put in religious protections for Muslims and non Muslims, and even some attempts to marry some Islamic law to democratic ideals, but the religious components will take a back seat to the real issue facing the Tunisian government - improving the economic situation for millions of Tunisians who overthrew Ben Ali because the government was unresponsive to the dire economic conditions. The government will have to focus on improving economic conditions and if it fails to put a political solution in place that generates economic growth and economic opportunities for advancement, this new government will find itself voted (or thrown) out of office.

UPDATE:
It appears that Ennahda has won at least 30% of the votes and is going to be in a position to form the new government along with several liberal-leaning groups.

The party, Ennahda, won at least 30 percent of the votes cast on Sunday, and party officials told a news conference the party had come out ahead in nearly every voting district. Ali Laredi, a top official of the party, said it expected to receive possibly more than 50 percent when the final results are tallied.

Calling his party “the most modernist” Islamic political movement in the Arab world — meaning the most committed to principles of democracy and pluralism — Mr. Laredi predicted that it would now “lead the way” for others around the region.

Ennahda officials were already beginning discussions to form a unity government with the four or five other more liberal parties that were expected to get representation in the constituent assembly, which is to draft the constitution.

Millions of Tunisians cast votes on Sunday in the election, which was widely watched as the possible pioneer for votes in Egypt and Libya, where longtime autocrats were felled by uprisings energized by the Tunisia revolution.

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 143

Construction continues throughout Ground Zero, including the 9/11 Memorial and Museum complex. In the past week, various components of the museum were installed in the underground museum, including a damaged fire truck, and a cross of steel recovered from Ground Zero that was later displayed at a nearby church.

The installation of the cross has resulted in a lawsuit by American Atheists, a nonprofit group based in New Jersey, claiming that the cross was impermissible under state and federal Constitutional law:

But the move quickly provoked a lawsuit from American Atheists, a nonprofit group based in New Jersey. It argued that because the cross is a religious symbol of Christianity and the museum is partly government financed and is on government property, the cross’s inclusion in the museum violates the United States Constitution and state civil rights law. The lawsuit, in turn, provoked the ire of the American Center for Law and Justice, a conservative public interest law firm, as well as others.

Now, the dispute over the “World Trade Center cross” is becoming the latest in a string of heated conflicts over how to memorialize the Sept. 11 attacks. It comes less than two months before the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and in the wake of a feverish debate over the construction of an Islamic cultural center and mosque within blocks of the trade center site.

Marc D. Stern, who is the associate general counsel of the American Jewish Committee and has long studied church-state issues, said the lawsuit presented “an extra-difficult case.”

“It’s a significant part of the story of the reaction to the attack, and that is a secular piece of history,” he said. “It’s also very clear from the repeated blessing of the cross, and the way believers speak about the cross, that it has intense present religious meaning to many people. And both of those narratives about this cross are correct.”

Ira C. Lupu, a professor at the George Washington University Law School and an authority on faith and the law, described the lawsuit as “plausible.” The outcome, he said, could depend on how the beam was displayed when the museum opened.

Context is everything here. The steel was a rallying point and a measure of comfort for those who saw it in the wake of the attacks and it has a religious significance. How those concepts are expressed and how the artifact is displayed will determine the outcome.

Of course, this suit is the last thing that the cash strapped Museum needs right now. It needs funds to ensure that the site opens on schedule and that the museum can operate going forward, both as an educational center and for preserving artifacts in its collection. Considering that the Athiest organization says that they're looking for equal representation, I see room for a negotiated deal before the museum opens to the public.

Meanwhile, news reports indicate that both President Obama and former President Bush will attend ceremonies at Ground Zero to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the attacks.

Mayor Bloomberg said Friday on his radio show that Obama and Bush would be given pre-selected readings, and that none of the dignitaries would be making speeches.

"This cannot be political," he said.

When Bush was president, he visited the site on anniversaries, but did not participate in the morning ceremony where the names are solemnly read aloud. Obama has also visited at other times, but never for the name-reading ceremony.

Also for the first time, the names of all the people killed at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the field in Shanksville, Pa., will be read aloud. In previous years, just the names of the trade center victims were read.

The ceremony will also include several current and former governors, along with Bloomberg and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

UPDATE:
Westfield has signed a long term deal with the Port Authority to handle the retail site development.

The Port Authority has a tentative deal with mall operator Westfield Properties to bring retail and restaurants to the World Trade Center site, the Journal and Post report. Westfield—an Australia-based company that also operates the concessions at JFK—would pay $612.5 million of the expected $1.55 billion retail construction costs in exchange for a 50 percent stake in the project. (The Port Authority would foot the rest of the bill.)

Yesterday, the Port Authority authorized more contracts for construction in and around Ground Zero, including at the Vehicle Security Center that is located on the site of the former Deutsche Bank building:

• Authorized the award of a construction trade contract to Zwicker Electrical Co. Inc., for electrical, telecommunications, security and fire alarm systems for the World Trade Center Vehicle Security Center.
• Authorized the award of a construction trade contract with Rael Automatic Sprinkler Co., Inc., for a fire protection system for the World Trade Center Vehicle Security Center.
• Authorized the award of a construction trade contract with WDF Inc., for a heating and air conditioning system for the World Trade Center Vehicle Security Center.
• Authorized the award of a construction trade contract with Pace Plumbing Corp., for plumbing for the World Trade Center Vehicle Security Center.
• Authorized the award of a construction trade contract with Skyline Steel Corporation for miscellaneous iron for the World Trade Center Vehicle Security Center.
• Authorized the award of a contract to Berardi Stone Setting Inc., for the pre-purchase, storage and handling of granite pavers and curbs for the World Trade Center Streets Program.
• Authorized the award of a construction trade contract to Delta Sheet Metal Corp. for a ventilation system for the World Trade Center Retail and Parking Pre-Tenant Fit-Out.
• Authorized the award of a construction trade contract to WDF Inc., for a plumbing system for the World Trade Center Retail and Parking Pre-Tenant Fit Out.
• Authorized the award of a construction trade contract to WDF Inc., for a heating and air conditioning system for the World Trade Center Retail and Parking Pre-Tenant Fit Out.
• Authorized the award of a construction trade contract to Rael Automatic Sprinkler Company Inc., for a fire protection system for the World Trade Center Retail and Parking Pre-Tenant Fit Out.
• Authorized an increase of $45.2 million to certain existing World Trade Center contracts to perform design and construction work to support adjacent stakeholder work, permanent power relocation requirements and tenant modifications.

UPDATE:
In a bit of bad news for Larry Silverstein and the Port Authority, UBS has decided against relocating from Connecticut to Ground Zero due to its ongoing reduction in workforce and uncertain business situation. This means that Silverstein will have to look for another major tenant to help fill the buildings he's hoping to construct at Ground Zero.

Dutch Legislators Infringe On Free Exercise of Religion By Banning Ritual Slaughter Practices

Dutch legislators have passed a measure that would ban the ritual slaughter of animals for food consumption. The measure would require that animals be first stunned before they are slaughtered. Under Jewish and Islamic doctrine, animals must be fully alert before they are slaughtered. Proponents claim that the ritual methods are cruel and should be banned.

So, while this affects 50,000 Jews in the Netherlands, the real focus is on the 1.2 million Muslims who follow Islamic dhabiha.

But the Islamic dhabiha and Jewish shechita methods of ritual slaughter require them to be fully conscious.

The legislation was proposed by an animal rights party with two MPs, which argued that failing to stun the animals subjected them to unnecessary pain.

But debate over the matter swiftly became a focus of animosity towards the Netherlands' 1.2 million-strong Muslim community. The country's Jewish population is comparatively small at 50,000.

Following months of debate a last minute concession was offered - the Muslim and Jewish communities will have a year to provide evidence that animals slaughtered by traditional methods do not experience greater pain than those that are stunned before they are killed.

However, observers say finding such proof will be virtually impossible.

The bill must still be approved by the upper house of parliament before it can become law.

Before Tuesday's vote, the head of the Party for the Animals, Marianne Thieme, denied the bill was an attack on religious minorities.

She argued the law was necessary because scientists agreed that animals suffered pain or fear if they were not stunned before slaughter, and because current regulations allowed exceptions for ritual slaughter.

Jewish and Muslim slaughtering practices are quite similar, and both require the use of a trained ritual slaughterer (shochet in Jewish practice) to slaughter the animal with compassion and with a single stroke of a razor-sharp knife according to strict procedures. For example, the shochet cannot press, pause, tear, pierce, or cover the animal being slaughtered. Stunning or other modern methods would render the ritual practices invalid because it would cause additional damage to the animal.

Once the animal has been slaughtered, the shochet examines the animal for additional diseases or lesions that would render the animal unkosher.

Far from being humane, these modern procedures (stunning by any number of means) are designed to maximize the number of animals slaughtered for the least cost. Jewish and Muslim slaughtering procedures are far more labor intensive and costly, in part because of the rate that meat from the slaughtered animals is deemed not to meet their respective religious standards.

Claims that Jewish and Muslim practitioners will have a year to show that their methods do not cause more harm to the animals will be all but impossible to prove; how exactly can anyone show that an animal suffers more or less pain or fear immediately preceding their slaughter. It's a bogus controversy and one that directly infringes on the religious freedoms of these communities.

Still No Decision on NY Marriage Equality Act or Rent Control As Session Nears End

The New York State 2011 legislative session should have ended yesterday, but it hasn't because of two of the most contentious issues remaining on the table - rent control and the gay marriage bill (the Marriage Equality Act). Right now, there's quite a bit of political maneuvering behind the scenes to get a deal done on both counts. Indeed, both issues are likely to be tied to each other to secure passage of both.



The legislature had extended the existing rent control guidelines until midnight tonight after they were set to expire over the weekend. That's given them some additional time, but the problem is that Republicans would like to see the law extended as it is currently configured, while NYC representatives and the Democratic caucus would like to see them adjusted to give a higher cap (to $300,000) on income and reduced increases in rents on 1-year and 2-year leases.

Rent regulations, which briefly lapsed last week, were last night extended for a second time and will now expire at 12:01 a.m. tomorrow.

Skelos would not accept demands by Silver to raise to $300,000 a year and $3,000 a month the income and rent thresholds at which landlords can strip price controls from a unit. The limits currently stand at $175,000 and $2,000.

"We're looking to protect lower- and moderate-income families," Skelos said.

"But we're not looking to protect the wealthy in New York City."

As the leaders met, the shouts of hundreds of demonstrators echoed through the halls. Some demanded stronger rent laws, some called for a ban on natural-gas drilling, but a vast majority sought to influence any vote on same-sex marriage.

Thirty-one of the Senate's 62 members -- including two Republicans -- have already committed to supporting the same-sex-marriage bill, leaving it just one vote from passage.

For now, the legislature is passing one-day extenders on rent control so that they can continue talks. This is the Albany way.

In the end, I expect deals to be cut on both the gay marriage bill and rent control so that both issues will be passed, and New York will become the sixth (and largest state) to recognize gay marriage.

Rapture Passes; Camping Follower Out $140,000 With No Misgivings

Harold Camping had predicted that the Rapture would take place on Saturday, and as I (and billions of others) expected, nothing happened.

That's great news for us, but bad news for the folks who swallowed Camping's nonsensical interpretation of Christian doctrine that notes that the end times would come but that we would not know when this would happen.

One New York area follower, Robert Fitzpatrick, spent $140,000 - his entire life savings - to plaster billboards and advertising space warning the masses about the upcoming Judgment Day (which didn't happen).

So, how exactly does Fitzpatrick feel about this? Well, surprisingly, he is in good spirits all while warning that we're not quite off the hook:

"Just because it didn't happen, people should not think they're off the hook," Fitzpatrick said yesterday as he caught up on chores he had put off until tomorrow because he thought there wouldn't be one.

Fitzpatrick said he has no regrets about spending his life savings, about $140,000, on subway and commuter-rail ads touting what turned out to be a dud prediction for Judgment Day.

"I did what I had to do," said the retired MTA engineer. "I still have a pension. I'm going to be OK."

Camping is expected to issue a statement about his missed prediction (for a second time).

It should come as no surprise that Camping will likely claim he erred in calculating the date and that he'll be issuing a new prediction soon.

Predicting the World's End

Some intrepid religious folks have declared that the world's going to end May 21, 2011, and that we should be prepared for that outcome.

If you’ve seen a "Save the Date" message for May 21, then you probably already know that this is the day Jesus Christ is scheduled to return, according to a group that follows Harold Camping’s prophecy.
As the impending day approaches, the group has been spreading its message of God’s return, referred to as the “rapture” through billboards, bus benches, bumper stickers, online and over the radio all over the world, telling people to get saved and prepare themselves for the second coming.

The end is near?

Camping, 89, has told multiple media outlets that he came up with this specific date by using math based on biblical scripture.
However, this isn’t the first time he’s made the same prophecy of the messiah returning. He predicted that 1994 would mark the end of days, yet 17 years later, Christians and non-Christians alike are still occupying the Earth.

You stand by that promise?

How about this: I believe you. The world's going to end May 21, 2011, and to that end, I promise to take all your belongings as you transfer them to me in a duly binding contract. Do you honestly believe the world will end to the point that you'll provide me with all your assets and worldly riches? After all, it's not like you're going to need them past May 21. And if I have them and the world ends, it's not like I'm going to need them either.

But if the world doesn't end, I end up all the richer for it.

Of course, Camping and others have been predicting the world's end so many times before that we've simply lost count of how many times the world's going to end, Christ or the Messiah or the Antichrist is returning (or has already arrived/Risen).

Still, it would be nice if these folks peddling these predictions would put their money where their collective mouths are and give away their worldly riches when they surely aren't going to be needing them.

Oh, and if the world is truly ending and there is a hell, I'll see you there.

Then again, if they're wrong, the Mayans still have their chances in 2012 (if you believe that particularly dubious theory).

Sheepshead Bay Mosque Project Clears Another Hurdle

Despite complaints from the usual suspects including Pam Geller, a judge has cleared the way for the mosque project on Voohries Avenue in Sheepshead Bay to move ahead.

On Tuesday, Judge Mark Partnow dismissed a lawsuit filed by the anti-mosque organization Bay People and neighbors of the as-of-right project on Voorhies Avenue between E. 28th and E. 29th streets, ruling that the mosque wouldn’t adversely effect the neighborhood.

The ruling came shortly after the lawyer for mosque builder Ahmed Allowey accused opponents of the plan of acting like racist terrorists.

“This is entirely motivated by racism,” said attorney Lamis Deek. “[The Bay People] has forced my client to expend his resources for no good cause and terrorize people with the vitriolic rallies that they hold.”

She added that the anti-mosque group would never have complained if a church or synagogue was being constructed.

“[They] claim that the mosque will be a nuisance and will be out of character with the neighborhood,” she said. “They’ve held rallies, protests and filed repeated complaints with the city, but have never done anything like this to a nearby church that doesn’t have any on site parking or a nearby synagogue that’s twice the size of the mosque.”

The Bay People do have a reputation of holding protests laced with anti-Muslim sentiment. Some protestors have even claimed that the Muslim American Society — which will take over the operation of the community center once it’s built — has ties to terrorism, although no direct evidence connecting the two has ever surfaced.

On top of that, the decision comes on the heels of a vandal spray painting a “happy face” and the words “He is dead” on the fence surrounding the mosque site in an apparent attempt to taunt mosque supporters over the death of bin Laden.

The opposition had further claimed that a lack of on-site parking would have been a burden to the local community, but the backers of the mosque project noted that many of the congregants lived in a 10 block radius around the mosque and there was little evidence that they would be driving to the mosque.

Sectarian Violence Erupts In Egypt After Church Torched; 11 Dead

Christians protesting the torching of a Church in Cairo were attacked by mobs of Muslims, and the ensuing mayhem left 11 people dead and 90 injured.

The clashes broke out Tuesday night when a Muslim mob attacked thousands of Christians protesting against the burning of a Cairo church last week. Muslims torched the church amid an escalation of tensions between the two religious groups over a love affair between a Muslim and a Christian that set off a violent feud between the couple's families.

The officials said Wednesday that the killed were six Christians and five Muslims, all died from gunshot wounds. They said 94 people were wounded - 73 Muslims and 21 Christians.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

So Much For Peace and Joy on Earth

While Christians around the world are celebrating Christmas, terror attacks were carried out in Nigeria and Pakistan that killed dozens, a terror plot was thwarted in he Netherlands, and Hamas is again threatening Israel's destruction.

43 were killed in Pakistan when a female suicide bomber struck in Peshawar food market:



Dutch authorities arrested 12 Somalis on terrorism related charges, noting that while no weapons or explosives were found, the attacks were said to be imminent.

Yet, there was some hope, as Iraqi Christians packed a church in Baghdad that was the scene of a massacre of priests and parishioners.

Terry Jones Loses Congregation Over Koran Burning Stunt

Florida pastor Terry Jones, who sought to burn a Koran in 9/11 demonstrations against the proposed Cordoba House/Park 51 project, admits that he's lost his congregation because they would much rather hear that "God loves you, you're a good person" than what he says is the truth about Muslims.

Seems that not only do his former congregants get it but that God works in mysterious ways. Again.

Anti-Evolution Advertising Plastered On Penn. Turnpike Billboard

What is it with some religious groups that think that evolution is incompatible with their religious beliefs?

Religious groups are free to believe whatever they want, but they are not entitled to their own facts. Denying that evolution has occurred, or that the science on evolution is well founded ignores reality. Indeed, even the Pope has declared that evolution and religious belief are not incompatible. So, why is it that some groups continue to plaster anti-evolution billboards?

The billboard that I saw is pretty much identical to the ones that were spotted in Massachusetts. It wasn't spotted on some rural highway either.

I spotted this one on the Pennsylvania Turnpike not far from the bridge over the Delaware River into New Jersey. It's just outside Philadelphia and one of the highest trafficked corridors in the region.

I don't know who's sponsoring these billboards, but they clearly couldn't care about science. It's all about the agenda.

Westboro Baptists Return To New York City To Hate On Jews and Gays

Westboro Baptist Church is in the news again after their free speech case has been taken up by the US Supreme Court this session and they're returning to Brooklyn to hate on Jews, and will then show their hatred and intolerance for gays and lesbians in Manhattan. They're scheduled to protest outside a couple of synagogues and yeshivas in Brooklyn before heading into Manhattan:

The Kansas-based fringe group plans to stage anti-Semitic and anti-gay demonstrations in Brooklyn and Manhattan on Monday - and counterprotests are expected.

Fred Phelps and his band of rabid bigots will set up shop outside Jewish schools and a synagogue in Kensington and Midwood, in Brooklyn, Hebrew Union College in Greenwich Village, and a gala for a gay and lesbian support group in Tribeca.

Drew Tagliabue, executive director of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG NYC), said his group plans to ignore Westboro's presence.

"They manufacture these controversies," he said. "They do it for publicity and attention."

Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Borough Park) plans to attend counterprotests in Brooklyn - where Westboro says it will preach that Jews are destined for hell.

"This is a fringe group. These guys are crazy and the schools are nervous," Hikind said.

"I have to be there. There's a lesson to be learned that there are haters out there."

Outside Chabad of Kensington on Ocean Parkway, members were horrified by Westboro's plan.

This is the same despicable church that protests US soldiers, sailors, and Marines who have died in the line of service because they consider gays to be immoral and against the Bible. Along the same lines, they consider Jews to blame for the spread of all manner of immoral and unethical actions in their view.

They're entitled to their opinions and to express them, but I can just as surely call them freaks who have misinterpreted the Bible and ignore the messages of love and tolerance contained therein.

Others covering the moron-a-thon: L Magazine, Gothamist, Media Matters.

As if that isn't enough, the group has taken upon itself to appropriate the Ozzy Osborne song Crazy Train, which has sent Ozzy into a tizzy. It's not without a certain amount of irony that Osborne is taking a church to task for showing intolerance and hatred.

Indonesia Warns Of Christianization Threat Over Proposal To Build Church

Indonesia is the largest Muslim-majority country in the world, and minorities have had a difficult time preserving their religious freedoms. The latest strain on religious relations in the country follows Indonesian Inslamists who are up in arms over the proposal to build a church in Bekasi, which has a Muslim-majority. Rallies continue to be held opposing the construction of the church and warn against the Christianization of Indonesia.

In June, the Bekasi F.P.I. leader told The Jakarta Globe, “All Muslims should unite and be on guard because … the Christians are up to something.” He also suggested that it might be necessary for mosques to establish militias and be prepared to fight a “war” to prevent “Christianization.”

As Al Jazeera explained in a video report last week, the small Christian group said that it had obtained all the necessary signatures from local residents who agreed to allow them to build their church, but then the Islamist vigilantes pressed people to withdraw their approval.

F.P.I. vigilantes have attacked a wide range of targets in the past, throwing rocks at members of minority Muslim sects, beating gay people, destroying bars and vowing to track down the editor of Indonesia’s short-lived version of Playboy magazine, Erwin Arnada, who is now in hiding.

As Reuters explained in June when the vigilantes attacked a group of Indonesian legislators, the F.P.I. “attracts limited support in moderate, majority Muslim Indonesia, but fear of being seen as defending vice means politicians and police often turn a blind eye to their attacks on targets, such as transvestites, which are deemed un-Islamic.”

It's not quite a mirror image to the debate about the Cordoba House proposal to build an Islamic community center and mosque near Ground Zero, but the parallels shouldn't be lost on anyone here.

It does, however, show that the world over struggles with religious freedoms and stresses that the United States and its First Amendment protections for free exercise of religion are there for a reason. Religious intolerance has been a significant issue as the central government has left issues largely up to the regional governments, increasing the intolerance of minority religious groups.